your best Christmas ever

[Linda]

I have two ... but number one is our first year in Texas and DH had just gotten a new job; it had taken all that we had to move into a place and get set up. so Chritmas was going to be very spares. Our daughter was 5 at the time and we had explain to her that with all the moving we had done that year there might not be much for Christmas. she seem to understood. We didn't have any thing as of that point as all our stuff was still in Michigan. so we didn't have any Christmas decorations. One day our DD was out playing with a friend and she had found an old raggy top of a Christmas tree, and wanted to know if we could set it up and decorated it. That thing was so sad looking. but there was no way i could tell her no so we cleaned the top up found a tin can. wrap foil around it filled it with drit and stuck that tree in it. then we started making paper decoration to hang on it. that poor tree there was no hope for it. But in the eyes of our daughter it was just beautiful and of all places she wanted to set it was on top of the ledge to the picture window, so all could see. we did.

Dh and I had manage to get a few gifts for our little girl, it wasn't much. Although that year i don't she would of cared if she had gotten nothing.

closer to Christmas Dh boss had given him a sizable Christmas bouns which was very much a surprise. So with that we went and got a tree and decoration and a few more gifts for DD. and the rest on things we needed. We hide the tree and stuff, cause we where going to put it up on Christmas eve and surprise our little one. But faith had other plans; Dh had a job where he was on called 24/7 and being he was low man he got called out to make a delviery Christmas eve. So DD and I went with him. On the way home in the we seen the brightess falling star ... and DD got so excited, she knew it was Santa!! she kept saying hurry daddy hurry Santa was at our house.

When we got home and enter into the house there stood a big ole Christmas tree with lights and all. Those blue eyes just light up and grew so big. not a word did our DD utter she just stood there in front of that there tree slowly looking from the bottom to the star on top. And all she could say once she was looking at the top was "it grew, the Christmas tree grew!" We told her why yes it did that miricles always happen around christmas> after that DH and I went into the kitchen to get us all something to eat. When we turn the corner we heared out DD whispering so we peeked to see who she was talking to. There stood that little five year old with folded hands looking up at the star. saying"Thank you God".

 

there has been many spares Christmas and Many bonitful ones since. And from that one on they have all been good. Cause every year she would tell us that Miricles happen at Christmas time. She is now a mother of four and still strongly belive that.

[Synn]

[Synn]

Ok Theyd.. I think the crying jag is over now..

 

Christmas's at home were very enjoyable to me as a child. Tons of brothers and sisters neices nephews, Mom and Dad.. I remember the last Christmas my brother Rick was at home before he went into the army. He woke me and my twin brother up saying Shawny, Dawny wake up santa's been here.. (yes Dawny is my nickname)... I was probably 5.. He then went to Germany.. He came home when I was 10 for good and died in a car wreck 3 months later.

I can hear my mom singing Silver Bells and Winter Wonderland over and over in my head. We used to have so much fun singing together as a family.. That's what we did every weekend.. Back in the days of record players and a reel to reel player/recorder.. Brothers would play guitars and Mom would play the banjo.. And we all had 3 part harmony that we would sing.. Man those were the best times of my life.. Christmas's were all happy.. I cannot recreate those memories for my kids as hard as I try.. I need to slow myself down long enough to make fudge with them, and have them help me bake and wrap presents and make it a family affair! After all these years we are finally getting together again..This will be the third year.. I long for the days of my childhood at Christmas time.. Even though my family is here as in my husband and my children I feel lonely without my brothers sisters and parents.. But my memories make me warm inside.. It's a good feeling.. Thanks Thyra!!!

[Judy Moist]

My favorite christmas of all time, has got to be from back in 1977. My father was the caretaker for the YMCA Camp Ocoee, we lived year around in the main house on the campground. So come winter time, we had free run of the camp.

 

So this one Christmas, with permission from the camp director, we were allowed to use the main dining hall for a christmas dinner. We had every family member from both sides, well over 75 people, we had any food imaginable,,(it was covered dish). We had a nice big fire going in the fire place and it was snowing outside,it was the most memorable sight, being right on the lake with the snow falling. We had the hall all decorated with a big tree near the fire place and lights and just absolutely everything you can imagine. At the end, our cousin STeve,snuck outside and went downstairs to the bottom level of the dining hall,to the restrooms and put on his Santa suit, Then he came in through the side door. It was a wonderful night, especially with all the excitement of the younger kids seeing santa.

These are the kinds of Holiday celebrations my family always had while we were growning up. That's why it is so hard for me now, because I can't carry on this tradition with our family. My family doesn't get along anymore, and his family never got along.

 

But I do try to instill our own little tradition for our kids.....